Water walking skis



y 5, 1962 A. c. ABAJlAN 3,034,157

WATER WALKING SKIS Filed April 3, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR.

ARAM G. ABAJIAN BY Win. 1

his ATTORNEYS.

May 15, 1962 A. c. ABAJIAN WATER WALKING SKIS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 3, 1958 F/Gb'.

I/Il/I/l/I/I/I/M l/I/l/l/I/I/ INVENTOR. ARAM C. ABAJ IAN his ATTORNEYS.

May 15, 1962 A. c. ABAJIAN WATER WALKING SKIS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 5, 1958 INVENTOR. ARAM c. ABAJIAN BYfi /&

his ATTORNEYS.

May 15, 1962 A. c. ABAJIAN WATER WALKING SKIS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 3, 1958 INVENTOR. ARAM C. ABAJIAN BY gu his ATTORNEYS.

3,634,157 WATER WALKING SKIS Aram Christian Ahajiau, 110 East End Ave, New York 38, I l-Y. Filed Apr. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 726,238 2 Ciaims. (Cl. 9-310) The present invention relates to water walking skis, and more particularly to water skis adapted to permit a water skier to propel himself and glide along the surface of a body of water.

Water skis used in conjunction with anoutside towing agency are well-known in the art, and water skiing had become a popular sport long before the conception of the present invention. Water walking, on the other hand, is practically unknown because the few rudimentary devices developed on an experimental level prior to this invention were impractical, inefficient and unsafe. It is the primary object of the present invention to provide hunters, fishermen, boatsmen, and persons interested in amusement with a practical, safe, and efficient water walking device.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide pontoons having sufficient buoyancy and stability to support a water skier on the surface of a body of water without danger of capsizing.

A second object of this invention is to provide pontoons with blades pivotally connected in such a way that the thrust of a skiers leg will cause engagement of the blades and thus propel the skier forward, while during forward or on the gliding motion the blades disengage presenting only minimum resistance to the gliding motion.

A third object of this invention is to provide blades adapted to open on the downward thrust of a skiers leg, so that the blades will be open during the entire rearward thrust which follows.

A fourth and further object of this invention is to provide a means for counteracting the sinking tendency of a pontoon resulting from a skiers propelling thrust.

A fifth object of this invention is to provide water skis capable of being used for land walking, thus eliminating the necessity of entering the water before attaching the skis.

A sixth object of this invention is to provide an attachment for a skiers foot which does not interfere with water walking motion and which at the same time permits a skier to make a quick and safe escape in the event of a capsize.

A seventh object of this invention is to provide water walking skis with a sturdy, light, knockdown construction which affords convenient handling, transportation and storage.

These and further objects residing in thecombination of elements and arrangement of parts are fully described and will become more apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein two preferred embodiments are set out:

FIGURE 1 is a view in side elevation of the first preferred embodiment.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the first embodiment.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the same embodiment.

FIGURE 4 is a view in cross section of the device shown in FIGURE 1 taken on line 4-4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 5 is another view in cross section of the device of FIGURE 1 taken at line 5-5, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 6 is a detailed plan view of the hinge and blade assembly shown in FIGURE 2 and FIGURE 8.

3,034,157 Patented May 15, 1962 FIGURE 7 is a view in side elevation of a second embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 8 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a view in cross section of the device of FIGURE 7 taken at line 99 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 10 is a view in cross section of the device of FIGURE 7 taken at line 10-10 and looking in the the rear end of the pontoon 21, and a footholder 23 located in the mid-portion of the pontoon 21.

The pontoon 21 is fiat and has a broad shallow construction which affords maximum stability and lessens the danger of caps-izing. There are three water-tight sections, including a front section 24, a middle section 25 and a rear section 26. These three sections are detachably joined end to end by plates and suitable fasteners 27. Each section is made from Styrofoam and has a molded fiberglass covering (FIGURES 4 and 5), alfording light sturdy construction. The detachable arrangement of the sections affords convenience for transporta tion and storage.

The footholder 23, located in a well 28 in the middle portion of the pontoon 21 slightly below water level, contributes to the stability of the ski and consists of a toe cup 29 and pivotally appended harness 30 permitting the substantial freedom of foot movement necessary to propelling activity. At the same time, the particular ar rangement affords the means for quick escape in case of emergency.

A clip 31, fixed to the pontoon 21 in front of the footholder 23, can be used as a sail attachment when a skier wishes to sail rather than to walk along the surface of the water.

The blade assembly 22, consisting of a pair of blades 33 and a hinge assembly 32, is attached to the rear end of the pontoon, facing downward at an angle of approximately 45 to the longitudinal axis of the pontoon 21. The blades 33, pivotally fastened to the hinge assembly 32, extend below the pontoon 2.1 and flare outwardly at their lower edges 34. The hinge assembly 32 consists of a hinge plate 35 rigidly mounted on the rear end of the pontoon 2.1, a hinge body 36 pivotally fastened to the hinge plate 35 at im upper end by a single bolt 37, and a spring 38 uniting the lower portion of hinge body 36 with the hinge plate 35.

With the apparatus described above and by employing suitable leg motion, a water skier can propel himself along the waters surface. Forward motion is induced by a thrust of the leg downward and to the rear. The downward thrust causes the blades 33 to open while the rearward thrust propels the skier forward. On the downward thrust the ski sinks a few inches causing water to flow against the flared lower edges 34 of the blades 33, thus initiating the opening action of the blades 33. Further opening action on the downward thrust results from the angle of the blade assembly 22. Water acts against the inner surfaces of the blades 33 in partially open position causing them to open all the way. In open position the blades 33 resist any further sinking tendency and per niit the skier to propel himself during the entire rearward thrust of his leg. Asthe thrust motion ends, water flows To continue the forward motion, the skier next thrusts his other leg downward and to the rear. The second ski operates in exactly the same fashion as the first, and by alternately repeating the leg motiona skier can propel himself and glide along the surface of the water indefinite- It is often desirable and more convenient to attach the water walking skis before entering the water, but, as indicated above, the blades 33 extend below the skis and interfere with land walking. Relatively large blades must be used because of the tendency of the ski to slide to the rear and when shallow skis, such as described in the first embodiment, are employed, the blades must necessarily extend below the ski. As part of the present invention, the water walking ski is designed for land walking. The hinge body 36 is pivotally fastened at its upper end to the hinge plate 35. During land walking the blade mechanism 22' swings to the rear and out of the way as indicated by the dotted lines in FIGURE 1. In the water, however,

the blade mechanism 22 is pulled into its normal operating a position by the spring 38.

Attention is next directed to FIGURES 7-10 and 12 which reveal the construction of a second embodiment. Since the arrangement of the second embodiment is essentially the same as that of the first, and since the parts have been correspondingly numbered, a detaileddiscussionof overall construction is unnecessary; V

In the second embodimentthe pontoon 21 is narrow and deep and has a streamlinedshape designed for maximum gliding efiiciency. The footholderlS, located in a well 28, receives the skiers foot substantially below water level, thus afiording stability to the ski.

The depth of the pontoon 21 eliminates any need for a pivotally connected hinge and blade assembly adapted to permit land walking, because the blades 33 do not extendabelow. the pontoon. However, if maximum propelling action is desired, longer blades must be used and a pivotally attached hinge and blade assembly may be employed.

' It will. be understood that the above-described embodimerits of the inventionare only illustrative and that modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the specific apparatus disclosed herein but is to be defined by the appended claims. 7

I claim:

1. A water walking ski, comprising a broad shallow pontoon formed with a well in the middle portion and transversely divided into a plurality of detachably joined water-tight sections, a toe cup and pivotally appended harness mounted in the well, a hinge plate rigidly mounted on the rear end of the pontoon and forming an angle less than with respect to the longitudinal axis of the pontoon, a hinge body pivotally fastened by its upper end to the upper portion of the hinge plate, a spring uniting the lower portions of the hinge body and hinge plate, and blades pivotally fastened to the hinge body and formed with portions lying at an angle to the plane of the blades and extending below the pontoon.

2. A water walking ski, comprising a pontoon, a means carried by the pontoon adapted to receive a skiers foot, a hinge plate rigidly mounted on the rear end of the pontoon and forming an angle less than 90 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the pontoon, a hinge body pivotally fastened by its upper end to the upper portion of the hinge plate, a spring uniting the lower portions of the hinge body and hinge plate, and blades pivotally fastened to the hinge body and formed with portions lying at an angle to the plane of the blades and extending below the pontoon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

